


Home Again

by orphan_account



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Incest, M/M, Stridercest - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-12
Updated: 2014-07-14
Packaged: 2018-02-08 14:15:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,876
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1944282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Your name is Dave Strider and you haven’t been home in over ten years. You suppose you should probably elaborate on that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Dave's Return

Your name is Dave Strider and you haven’t been home in over ten years. You suppose you should probably elaborate on that. 

Just after the game ended, giving you back your entire world, and your guardians to boot, a man, Luke was his name, came to you. He told you that you had to do as he said, to which you laughed, and said no, fuck you dude, I’m going home now thanks. He only smirked at you, saying that he’d hurt John, Rose, Karkat--even Bro. Naturally you didn’t believe him, and told him so. Luke chuckled darkly, and explains that he was a page of mind, and that he had explored much of his new powers, and was able to control a person’s pain receptors in their minds, to the point of killing them. Then, as an example, he simply snapped his finger and suddenly everything you could feel was white hot pain. You don’t know how long it lasted; it felt like an eternity. When you came to your senses, you were trembling violently, with tears streaming down your face. You glare at him and grit your teeth, gripping your sword tightly and flash stepping behind him, when you’re stopped by another wave of pain, less intense this time. You fall to the ground, sword laying uselessly next to you. It lets up a minute after and you stand shakily, glaring again but not moving. He looks down at you, a sneer on his face.

And that’s what you’ve been doing for the past ten years. He wouldn’t let you contact anyone, and only let you go six years back in time. So for your friends its been four years, for you its been ten. They probably think you’re dead by now. After a while of thinking, you had decided to visit Bro first; it had been the longest since you saw him after all. Which is why you’re currently standing in front of the door to his apartment. You take a breath, raising a hand and knocking. There’s no answer, even after you knock a second time, louder. You put your hand on the knob, not surprised when it isn’t locked; Bro never locked the door. You open the door, stepping inside.

“Bro?” You walk around the apartment, looking for him. You check everywhere, until all that’s left is the bedroom. Opening the door, you step inside, and are immediately met with the pungent smell of alcohol. Covering your mouth you speak again.

“Bro? Are you in here?” A soft grunt comes from the floor by the bed, and the floorboards creak a bit as Bro shifts a little.

“Whoz ther...?”

“It’s Dave... Bro are you drunk?” You step towards him, seriously concerned and more than a little confused. Bro sits up, squinting at you, his shades nowhere in sight.

“Yur not Davee... Daves dead.” You wince a little at the word ‘dead’.

“Just answer the question, Bro.”

“I gezz ‘m a lil drunk.” You sigh, walking over and helping him to his feet. He falls against you, giggling. Yes, you heard that right, giggling. You manage to get him to lay down on the bed without dumping him on the floor again. Covering him with a blanket, you grab the empty bottle he had been drinking from, carrying it to the kitchen and tossing it in the trash. You grab a glass, filling it with cool water and some headache medicine for tomorrow morning. You peer in the door, and Bro is laying there, staring up at the ceiling and laughing lazily. Sighing, you step inside and walk over, sitting next to him on the bed and helping him into a sitting position. You hold the glass to his lips, and manage to get him to drink a little. When you take the glass away, he looks at you with a far away look in his eyes.

 

“Youu lok... jus lik him... Just liek my lil Daveey.” He cups your face with his hand, tears in his eyes. You look back at him sadly.

“It is me, Bro. I’m back.” You lean into his hand a little, sliding your shades off.  “... See?”

He stares at you, his eyes widening.

“.... Davey?” You smile a little at the old nickname.

“Yeah... its me.” Bro keeps staring for a few seconds, before wrapping his arms around you, holding you tightly. You hug him back, resting your head on his shoulder.

You both stay like that for a long time, until Bro falls asleep. You lay with him for a while, but soon pull away, making sure he was covered with the blanket and that he had water. You wander around, eventually making your way to the roof, sitting on the edge and looking out over the darkened streets of the city. The two spires in the distance, like obsidian towers, remind you of Derse. Sighing deeply, you slide your shades back on, leaning back to stare at the starry sky. This was not how you had wanted this to go at all.

You had figured Bro would be surprised that you were in fact, alive, but would welcome you home, give you a hug and some AJ or something, maybe some doritos. But instead, he was drunk off his ass and you had to put him to bed. He probably wouldn’t remember any of it in the morning anyways. You rest your head in your hands, rubbing your eyes. There had been other bottles around the kitchen earlier, you’d noticed, all empty. How long had this been going on? You’d have to ask him later after he woke up.

You sit there a long time, just staring out at the city, not thinking, just feeling. Sometime around three in the morning, you get up, stretching sore muscles and heading back inside. You consider heading back to your room to sleep, but instead opt for the couch, considering what happened last time you were there. You lay down, closing your eyes. Soon enough, you fall asleep.

((~~***~~))

You wake the next morning, and your brilliant sense of time tells you its about nine am. Dragging yourself off the couch, you trudge to the kitchen and throw some eggs in a pan and start to cook.

About half an hour later, you hear Bro stirring in his room. You take a breath, turning the stove off and walking down the hall, peering in. He’s sitting on his bed, rubbing his eyes. Out of the corner of your own, you spot his shades on the coffee table. You pick them up, looking back into his room again. He’s looking at the medicine curiously, but he takes it, draining the water afterwards. Sighing, Bro stands up, looking around. You suppose he’s probably looking for his shades. He walks towards the door, and your breath catches as he turns the corner and nearly runs into you. You both stare at eachother for a few moments, and you’re reminded of another reason you Striders wore shades; your eyes were extremely expressive. You read Bro’s emotions like an open book just by looking into his eyes. At first there’s only confusion, then joy, disbelief following successively. You hold up his shades.

“.... Looking for these?”

 


	2. Dave's Story

“.... Looking for these?”

 

Your name is Bro Strider and you are hopelessly confused. Happy, but confused. Your little brother, who you thought was dead, was standing in front you, very much alive. You just stare at him for a few seconds before finally registering what he was saying and managing to find your own words.

“... Yeah...” You respond hoarsely, not moving. He was back... How was that possible? Dave was dead, wasn’t he? After all, he was missing for four years. But sure enough, here he was. “... Dave? Is that you?” You reach towards him, only to pull back, afraid... afraid of what, you didn’t know, but afraid nonetheless.

“Yeah...” Dave’s own shades were slipping, and you could see just the very smallest hint of the red irises that lay hidden behind them. “... It’s me.”

You swallow thickly. Dave was back. Holy shit. He looked older too. You figured he would, but not quite that much. He looked too old, but that could just be your imagination.

“You’re back...” You realize you’re only stating the obvious, but you can’t seem to control your mouth at this point. You step forward, pulling him into a tight hug.

“Y-you’re back... holy shit you’re back.” You couldn’t believe it. How. How was this possible? Dave was dead, wasn’t he? Yet here he was.

Dave wraps his arms around you and buries his face in your shirt, nodding.

“W-when...” Your voice cracks, and you clear your throat. “When did you get back?” You feel him tense slightly.

“... Last night. About eleven.” You feel your blood turn to ice. Fuck. That means he saw you, wasted to high heaven. Hopefully you didn’t say anything about the dreams, or the way you go into his room to sleep sometimes, or how you blamed yourself for him leaving. That would be bad. Very bad. Dave wasn’t supposed to know about any of that. You manage a weak laugh.

“Oh, was I already asleep? You know you could have woken me up.” Dave looks up at you, his expression a little pained.

“... Bro.” Shit. You swallow nervously. Without your shades, he could read you like an open book.

“We both know you weren’t asleep.” Despite your best efforts, you can’t keep the regret off your face. You speak after a moment, voice quieter.

“... I know.”

“Why?” You tense at his question, pondering how to answer for a second, deciding it was better to just lie so he wouldn’t worry.

“Roxy gave it to me. ‘Figured I should use it sometime, musta drank a little too much.” You can’t see behind his shades, but he seems to be rolling his eyes.

“Bro. You and I both know that’s bullshit. Tell me the real reason.” You sigh. Fine, then. Clearly he can tell when you’re lying now. Great.

“I.... I missed you. You were gone, and I’ve been alone ever since. Do you know how lonely it around here without you? It was practically tangible. It hurt. A lot. I guess I was trying to make the pain go away, you know? Take a break from it all.” You take a shaky breath, hugging him a little tighter. “Where have you been, Dave? Did I do something wrong?” Your voice is shaking a little, and you just know he can hear it. You didn’t notice before, but he’s clutching the back of your shirt tightly. When he speaks, his voice is small, almost... vulnerable sounding. You haven’t heard his voice sound like that since he was five and came to crawl into bed with you after a nightmare.

“I-I’m sorry, Bro... I’m sorry I put you through all that. But it wasn’t your fault. What on earth made you think it would your fault?” You swallow thickly.

“Well let’s face it... I was a pretty shitty older brother. You’re old enough to see that now.”

“You were in no way, shape or form a bad brother. You supported me, raised me, taught me everything. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be here.” You snort.

“Wouldn’t be here? What do you mean by that?” He grips your shirt tighter, taking a breath.

“Because you fuckin di-” He stops, composing himself.

“Because I what?” Dave grimaces a bit.

“It... it’ll take a lot of explaining. And I’d rather not do that right now, but the fact still stands that you were a great brother, Bro. Best I could have asked for. Better, even.”

Honestly, you’re shocked into silence. You’d always thought Dave hated you, especially after he left. He didn’t resent you for the strifing you made him do? Or the puppets?

“What... what did I do? I mean, I’ve got time, you can for however long you need.”

“.... When I say a lot of explaining, I mean it. Like, years and years of experiences to talk about. Are you sure?”

“Yeah. Here, let’s sit down.” You reluctantly break away from him, walking over and sitting on the couch. Dave follows, sitting sideways to face you.

“Alright, so this is gonna take a while. But here I go I guess.” Dave takes a breath and starts his story. He tells you all about this game he played, sburb, and how well the fighting skills you helped him develop helped him. He told you how he could travel in time, how double death was a thing, and lots of other stuff you didn’t quite completely understand. It was all pretty hard to believe, but you believed every word he said.

At one point in the story, Dave gets a little quiet, and won’t look at you.

“Come on, lil man. Out with it.” You nudge his knee with your own. Still not looking at him, his voice is soft again.

“At one point... the other me I was talking about, Davesprite, and you were fighting Jack and he had gotten more powerful. I didn’t know what happened before, but Luke gave me all of Davesprite’s memories, since he was technically me anyways. So, me and you fighting Jack. Jack manages to slice off most my right wing, and I go down.”

“Hold on, this is what happened with Davesprite, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay. Continue.” Dave takes a breath.

“I went down, and you stepped in to defend me. Before he had, I dunno, powered up I guess, you two were practically equals, powerful as he was, but now... You didn’t stand a chance. After a while, you slipped up, fell down and he...” Dave swallows, looking  away again. “He stabbed you, the sword went into the ground underneath you. He took your shades and flew off. I-Davesprite, I mean- sat there for a long time, long after you were gone. Holding you, crying, saying he was sorry, that he should have done better... that I should done better. Later... “

Holy shit. This is what the kid had been going through? No wonder he wouldn’t look at you. You had failed Dave when he need him most. God dammit, you always managed to fuck it up somehow, didn’t you?

“Later... I found you. Terezi started talking to me, asked me if I loved you. Being the stupid teenager I was, I said no. She got confused, kept asking about it, and I just... hid behind irony and stupid comparisons. I tried to pull the sword out, but I couldn’t. Well, I say pull, but I mean break. I’m not good at pulling swords out of things. I’m not John, after all. Being a hero and shit. I remember what I said to Terezi... that John was a hero. How you were.” Dave looks up at you for a second. “But I’m not. Still true, now that I think about it.” He looks away again. You almost laugh. You, a hero? As if. Instead, you put a hand on his knee, hoping it was a comforting gesture.

“Hey, you were too a hero. What about all those amazing things you did? All the people you saved. If that doesn’t make you a hero, I don’t know what does.”

“What kind of hero am I if I can’t save the people who mean the most to me? I couldn’t save John, or Rose, or Jade, or anyone I cared about, not when it mattered. And then to top it all off, I couldn’t even save you.” He looks back up at you, and you’re surprised to see a few tears dripping out from under his shades. “If I’m a hero, I’m a pretty shitty one.” You frown, taking his face into your hands and wiping away his tears and lowering your voice.

“Dave, listen to me. First of all, I would die to save you, any version of you, anyday. Don’t blame yourself. Second, you tried your best, so that’s what matters, stop being so hard on yourself. Okay?” He pauses, then nods, causing his shades to slip down his nose and reveal a good half of his eyes. Your breath hitches slightly at the sight; you had forgotten quite how utterly red his eyes were. Wow.

After a few seconds he pulls out of your hands and adjusts his shades and hiding his eyes again, which you’ll admit you are sad to see go. He clears his throat and continuing his story. He goes on about something called god tiers for a while, eventually talking about another group of kids that were, apparently, in some roundabout way, John’s Nanna, Jade’s Grandpop, Rose’s Mom, and you. This both confuses and shocks you, understandably.

“Wait, this never happened to me, so how could he have been a younger me...?” You ask him.

“Well, it’s hard to explain unless you’re a time player. But I’ll try. Basically, you are another timeline, where you grew up here, normally. In that timeline, you grew up years and years in the future, and played Sburb with us. But you’re both still just as much the real Dirk Strider as the other.” You almost shudder when he says your name. He’s never said it before; as far as you knew he never even knew your name. But despite that, you like the way it sounds when he says it. It’s weird, but your name sounds almost... safe in his mouth. Like he takes special care in saying that one particular word. You can’t help but smile a little at the thought.

You nod, leaning forward a little.

“Well, that sure is some pretty complicated stuff. How’d you keep all that and timeline shit straight in your head, anyways?” Dave shrugs.

“I’m a time player, it comes naturally I guess.” You nod again, standing and stretching briefly.

“Hey, I’m gonna go get some AJ, you want some?”

“Hell yeah I do. And some doritos?”

“‘Course.”

“Awesome.” You walk to the kitchen, opening the fridge and grabbing two bottles of apple juice and some doritos on your way out. You toss a bottle to Dave, cracking your own open after setting the doritos down.

“Thanks, Bro.”

“No problem, dude. So, you meet my younger self, what happened?”

“We both flipped our shit. Did a pirouette off the fucking handle.”

“Really? Why?”

“Well, for me, you had been dead for three and half years. Suddenly a younger you was there, alive, in front of me. I wasn’t really sure what to do.” His shades start to slip again and this time he just takes them off, much to your surprise and enjoyment. You had always loved his eyes, and it saddened you that if he were to show them in public, he would likely be made fun of.

“For you... Dirk.... okay, for now I’m going to call your younger self Dirk, okay?”

“Sure, whatever.” You sit down, facing him this time so you could see his eyes better.

“Alright. For Dirk, I’m a younger version of his bro too. And apparently I died fighting some evil juggalo presidents or something. So we were both a little nervous and emotional when we finally met.

“So what happened?” Dave face flushes just a little and you raise an eyebrow, but don’t say anything else.

“Dirk, it turns out, for a while, had a sort of crush on his bro.” Oh. And this was another version of yourself? That had a crush on Dave? You weren’t sure what to think, except that the thought brought back memories of a few dreams you’d rather forget.

“So, when he saw me, he sort of, well, kissed me.” Oh.

“... What did you do?” You ask, a little nervous for some reason. Jesus, calm down already. It wasn’t actually you.

“I was too shocked and emotional to do much of anything at the time. But we talked, and kept in contact after we had to leave each other. So, I know a lot more about you than you would think now.” You nod slowly.

“That would explain why you can read me so well. Even without shades, you still couldn’t do much before.” You offer a small smile, leaning back a bit.

“Yeah.” He continues on, telling of deaths and people being brought back to life, people being corrupted. It’s all a bit much, but you listen. Eventually he gets to the end of the story, saying the game gave earth back just how it was, when it was.

“Wait, so then why were you gone so long?”

“I’m not done yet.”

“Oh, okay. Go ahead then.” Dave takes a breath, starting on the next part of his story, this time,  a little emotion showing on his face. He tells you about a man name Luke, who made him collect pieces for some weapon.

You wanted to find whoever this Luke guy was, and wring his neck for hurting Dave like that. Dave tells you about how he’d make him kill people, just to see him in pain. You frown deeply, wanting to pull Dave close and hold him, tell him everything would be fine.

This portion of the story went much quicker, even though it was much longer in reality. When Dave mentioned that he was doing this for ten years, you’re confused yet again.

“Hold on, you were only gone for four years, how could you be doing that for ten?”

“Time travel. I would have gone back farther, but Luke fucked with my powers so I could only come back this far. Which means, instead of being seventeen like I should be, I’m twenty-three.” You pause for a moment before speaking again.

“... I thought you looked older.”

“Yeah... That would be why.”

Wow. Dave was twenty-three? Holy shit. All those years, and he wasn’t there for a bit of it. Twenty-three...

“So, there’s my story. What’s yours?”


	3. Bro's Story

 

“... My story? Sorry to disappoint, but there isn’t much to tell.” You shrug; you had told your story, it was Bro’s turn now. You didn’t care if it was short or whatever, you just wanted to know what he had been up to while you were gone.

“I don’t care.” Bro sighs.

“Alright, but it won’t be a fun one.”

“Mine wasn’t either.”

“Touche.”

“Come on, Bro. Stop stalling and tell me.” You raise your eyebrows and cross your arms at him, and he holds his hands up in surrender.

“Okay, Okay, you got me. So.... When you disappeared, we were all searching for you. After a few months, almost everyone gave up, except for me. It took a few more months and a lot of convincing from your friends for me to stop. I used to sit on the futon, waiting for you walk through the door with some lame-ass excuse. Around the second year, I started checking your bed every night, hoping by some miracle you’d be there. You never were, obviously. After a while of that, I started sleeping in your bed; it helped me sleep and since I almost never slept anymore, it was nice. John would come by sometimes, made sure I was eating, all that shit. He stopped after a while though, probably scared him off.”

“Scared him off? How?”

“I might have yelled at him.”

“What did you say?”

“I crossed a line I shouldn’t have.”

“Bro, what’d you say?”

“It’s not important.”

“Bro.” You give him a look. “Tell me what you said.”

“Fine, fine. I might have said that you leaving was his fault.”

“Bro!”

“It’s not like I meant it! It just sort of... popped out. That isn’t what I thought at all.” You sigh.

“Alright, continue with your story then.”

“... Right. So a few months after that.. thats when Roxy came over, and I got an idea.”

“An idea?”

“Yeah. Drinking. I mean, it worked for her, back in the day. So why not me?” You suck in a breath, forcing yourself to keep a calm face and you nod slightly.

“So you’ve been drinking for what... two years now?”

“Yeah...” Bro is quiet for a minute, staring at his feet. “You’re disappointed in me... aren’t you?” His voice is soft, and scared sounding, and your face softens slightly as you reach out and put a hand on his shoulder.

“No, I’m not. Sad that you had to do that, yeah. But not disappointed.” He looks up cautiously, his face guarded.

“... You’re sure?”

“Yes.” He nods slowly, leaning his head against your shoulder.

“... Thank you.”

“No need to thank me, it’s the truth.” You lean your head on his, wrapping an arm around him. After a few minutes he sits up.

“Here, let’s make this more comfortable, shall we?” Bro reaches out, lifting you into his lap and laying back a little. You let out a small squeak, clinging to him in surprise. He chuckles at this, drawing you closer and smirking down at you. You stare, startled by his eyes; they were practically glowing in the dim lighting. You shake your head to snap out of your little trace.

“So, anything else important that I should know?”

“Well, there isn’t much. Around the third year, I started working a lot, but I’d just destroy everything I made, so I stopped after a while. That’s when the drinking got really bad.” Bro sighs, his arms tightening around you slightly. “But.... that won’t be a problem now, since you’re back.” You nod, leaning against him a little.

“... Good.”

You sit like that for a long time, until you eventually drift off into the first peaceful sleep you’ve had in years.

~~~~~

You wake up late in the afternoon, still nestled comfortably against Bro’s chest. You look up at him to find he’s already awake, and he smirks at you.

“‘Morning sunshine.” You just give him a look and stand up, wincing a bit when your back cracks in several places. Stretching, you yawn and look back at Bro, who’s sitting up and chuckling softly.

“Hey, hand me my shades, would you?”

“Get your own shades, dude. You have legs.”

“Fine.” You grab your shades, sliding them on. You walk to the kitchen and grab a banana, peeling it and taking a bite. Walking back to the living room, you flop onto the chair as Bro slides his shades on. He looks up at you and you take another bite, purposely making it slow, and just generally being way more sexual than you needed be while staring back at him. He just raises an eyebrow and turns away, sighing. You chuckle, continuing to eat normally. You finish your banana, glad things were starting to go back to normal, even though it would never go back exactly how it was.

After all, you were six years closer in age. Hell, you were legal now, for just about everything. Maybe it was just you, and the fact that you had just got back, but it felt like the two of you were closer than before. You did fall asleep in his arms, after he picked you up. Why the fuck did he do that? Oh well, whatever. It was nice, being so close to him, since you never were before you played the game, and since you hadn’t seen him in so long.

You catch yourself wishing it would happen again. Jeez, you were never this affectionate before, what had gotten into you? You dismiss it as just aftermath of missing him so much over the past years. That’s right, that’s all it was, you just missed him. But something tells you that you’re wrong, that there was more to it.

 

 


	4. Discovery

You lift your head off of Dave’s shoulder.

“Let’s make this more comfortable, shall we?” You reach out and pick him up, not giving him time to protest. You set him in your lap and he makes a small, high pitched squeak and latches onto your shirt. This makes you chuckle and you pull him closer. You weren’t sure why you were being so touchy-feely, but you just went with it. He stares up at you for a few moments, mouth open slightly. You smirk as he shakes himself out of his gaze.

“... So, anything else important I should know?” You think for a moment.

“Well, there isn’t much. Around the third year, I started working a lot, but I’d just destroy everything I made, so I stopped after a while. That’s when the drinking got really bad. But.... that won’t be a problem now, since you’re back.” He nods and leans his head against your chest, and you smile a little.

“... Good.” Dave falls asleep fairly quickly, but you’re left awake, stroking his hair and holding him close.

You had missed him so much, it was ridiculous. Now that he was back, you never wanted to let go. Pressing a small kiss to his hair, your mind wanders and wonders what it would be like if he were to wake up and lift his head so his lips met yours and-

What. No, that was wrong. That was illegal. You did not play that game, never mind the dreams you’d been having. The one’s where Dave was pressed against you, tugging your head closer as he kissed you, while his-

NO. You were not thinking about that while he was sitting on your lap. That could only end badly. Instead you settle for resting your head against his, eventually falling asleep a while later.

~~~~~

You wake up before Dave does, and still half asleep, run your fingers through his hair. In his sleep, he leans into the touch. Intrigued, you do it again, scratching his head lightly. Dave shifts a little closer, nuzzling into your hand. Holy shit, the kid was like a cat. You keep up pretty much petting him for a while, surprised that when you rubbed the base of his skull he made a noise akin to a purr, or as close as a human could get. Chuckling, you think that you should do this while he was awake, and see if you got the same reaction. It would certainly be interesting, and you’re curious if he was even aware of it. Either way, you’d definitely find a way to do this again.

A while later, Dave wakes up, blinking sleepily up at you. You smirk at him, sliding your hand out of his hair, hopefully before he noticed it was there.

“’Morning, Sunshine.” Dave just glares at you and gets up, stretching. You sit up, chucking quietly.

“Hey, hand me my shades, would you?” you rub your eyes and run a hand through your hair. Dave scoffs.

“Get your own shades, dude. You have legs.”

“Fine.” Dave walks to the kitchen, probably to go grab some food. You stand, looking around for your shades. You find them on the floor where Dave dropped them that morning and are sliding them on when Dave returns, banana in hand. He flops onto the chair, looking up at you and smirking before taking a bite of the banana, rather.... sensually. You turn away, sighing, trying to hide the fact you, although you’d never openly admit it, found it a little sexy. Dave laughs softly and you walk to the kitchen, grabbing an apple and biting into it. What was that for? Was Dave trying to seduce you? No, he was probably just trying to be funny, as usual. At least you thought that was usual. He was, what, ten years older now, and no doubt in that time he had changed. He knew you better now, and you knew him less. Talk about unfair advantages.

You lean against the counter, thinking. Dave was twenty-three now. That was old enough to do just about anything by himself, at least as far as legal matters were concerned. Old enough to drink, to drive, to have sex, if that’s what he wanted. _With you_. You push the thought away immediately; even if he wanted to, you were brothers, it was still illegal. Hold on, you didn’t even want that. What were you talking about.

You finish your apple, tossing the core in the trash. You needed to stop your mind from wandering like that.

Walking back into the living room, you watch Dave from the corner for a minute or two, eyes widening when he holds out his hands and two levitating turntables appear. He starts to check them, probably to make sure they were in good condition. He does a little maintenance before finally putting them away again. By putting away, you meant they just fucking disappeared. Your little brother was doing that, whatever it was. And it was cool as shit too.

“Hey kid.” Dave jumps a bit.

“Hey bro.”

“So, how about a strife, right now.” You smirk, wanting to test any new skills he had.

“Sure, but I’m gonna beat your ass.” You scoft.

“As if.”

“We’ll see about that.” Dave leaps up from the chair, striding up to the roof. You follow, grabbing your katana on the way out. When you get up there, he’s leaning nonchalantly against the air conditioning unit.

“So should I use my old katana for this, or one of my newer swords?” You shrug.

“Whatever.” Dave chuckles, and you raise an eyebrow. “What?”

“You might want to see it before you say that.” He pulls out a rather large sword, but it’s broken.

“That shit’s broken, dude.”

“Yeah, but it isn’t when I need it to be.”

What.

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

“Exactly what it sounds like.”

“That’s weird, but alright. I’m still gonna beat you.”

“Sure you are.” As an attempt to catch him by surprise, you flashstep over to him, slashing at his legs. To your own surprise, he blocks your attack easily, pushing you back. Holy shit. You were expecting him to be stronger, yeah, but not this strong. You recover, aiming another blow at his left shoulder. Again, he deflects it, forcing you farther back. After a few minutes of defending, he goes on the attack, and you are hopelessly outmatched. Somewhere between those two points, the sword is suddenly whole again, and you see what Dave meant. Somehow he’s faster and stronger than you, pushing you back until your knees hit the ledge marking the edge of the building. By then, you’re panting, gasping for breath, and Dave is barely fazed. He presses his sword to your throat after several exchanges like this, and holds it. A few seconds later, he pulls back to let you slump forward and relax.

“H-holy shit. Where did you learn all of that?”

“I’ve been doing nothing but fighting for the past decade. Of course I got good.” ... Right. You had forgotten about that.

“Well, you win. That’s clear.”

“Told you I would.”

“Shut the fuck up.” He snickers.

“C’mon, let’s go back inside and get some AJ or something, I’m thirsty.”

“Sure. There’s plenty in the fridge, I’ll be right down.”

“Cool. See you in a bit then.” You nod, and Dave heads back down to the apartment, and you sit down on the ledge, looking out over the city.

Wow. So Dave just kicked your ass in a strife for the first time ever. He really had gotten strong. You were proud of the kid, but at the same time you were sad. You never got to help with that, never got to see him grow into the person he is now. You sigh, looking down at your feet dangling below you.

Maybe you’d challenge him to another strife later; you wanted to see him fight again. You weren’t sure why, but you did.

You stand up, stretching and walking back to the apartment. Dave is already sitting at the table, sipping some apple juice. You pour some for yourself, taking a drink.

“So what took you so long? I’m already on my second glass of AJ.” Oh. You didn’t realize you’d been gone for so long. You shrug.

“Sorry.”

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“... Just thinking.”

“What about?”

“Just stupid stuff.”

“Liar. You wouldn’t stay up there by yourself for stupid stuff.” You sigh.

“Fine, fine you caught me. I was jerking it.”

“Ha, very funny. What were you really doing?”

“... You really wanna know?”

“That’s why I’m asking.”

“... I was thinking about you, actually.”

“Wow, you homo for your little bro now?” You freeze for a split second.

“Funny joke. But you beat me so easily. I... I was never there to see you learn how to do that, to help you. I never got to see you grow up into the person you are now.” Once you started, you couldn’t stop. “You know me better now, but I barely know you at all anymore. You went through so much, but I couldn’t help you. I thought you left ‘cause of me, that I did something wrong... that I had driven you away, that-” Suddenly his arms are around you, holding you close. Since when could he wrap his arms around you so easily? And he was almost as tall as you now. God, you wished you could have been there all those years.

But he was holding you tightly, one arm around your waist, the other around your upper back and shoulder. Dave was pulling you even closer now, and you bury your face in his shoulder.

“I’m sorry... I shouldn’t have anything.”

“No, its fine, don’t worry about it. I expected something like that when I asked.”

“So you wanted me to spill all my secret feelings?” You meant it to come out sarcastic, but it just sounded weak and small. Shit.

“I guess. I wanted to know so I could help you. I’m glad you told me.” You nod, and slip your arms around him.

“... Thank you.”

“Not a problem, anytime.” You stand like that for a while, until you pull away.

“Y’know, we should strife again soon. I wanna actually see what you’re doing next time.”

“Sure, just tell me when. I’m always ready to beat your ass.” You roll your eyes.

“Hey, I just got caught by surprise is all. I’ll get you next time.”

“Mhmm, sure you will.” You give him a look and walk back to the living room, falling onto the couch. You hear Dave walk in and sit on the chair and neither of you talk for a while. Putting your hands behind your head, you wonder if perhaps he has something to tell you, or maybe just wants to talk or hang out or something. Either way, you were glad for his company.

“... Hey Bro?”

“Yeah?” You glance over at him, and he’s leaning forward in the chair, arms resting on his knees and looking at the floor.

“This morning, how we were, y’know, cuddling I guess?”

“Yeah, what about it?”

“Do you think... we could maybe do that again?” He looks up at you for a second. “Or maybe more often just in general. If that’s okay.” You smirk a bit.

“Sure, sounds like a good idea to me.” He nods.

“So... Like right now? If that’s okay.”

“Get over here.” Dave’s face flushes slightly and he stands, as you sit up a little, holding your arms out to him slightly. He lays down next to you, curling into you. You chuckle, wrapping your arms around him and holding him tightly. Burying your face in his hair, which was impossibly soft and smelled wonderful, like... you couldn’t put your finger on it, but it was unmistakable Dave, and you sigh happily. Dave nuzzles into your chest, squeezing you tightly.

“... You okay, lil’ man?” He doesn’t say anything for a minute.

“I just really missed you, Bro.”

“... I missed you too, Dave.” You kiss the top of his head, rubbing his back a little. He had been through a lot, even more than you. No matter what, you weren’t gonna miss another second, and you were going to be there for him. You weren’t losing him again, no way.

“I... I love you.” His voice cracks a little, and you can feel him tremble against you. Shit, was he crying? You squeeze him tightly.

“Love you too.” He sniffles softly, nodding, but shaking harder, no doubt against his will. “Seriously, are you alright?” He doesn’t answer this time, starting to sob softly into your shirt. You just pull him closer against you, kissing his head. “It’s okay to cry sometimes, you know. Nothin’ wrong with that. ‘Cause I’m always gonna be right here to hold you, okay?” Dave nods, crying harder. You shift so you were on your back with Dave’s face in your shoulder and his body on top of yours, which seemed much smaller now, more fragile and delicate. “I’m never gonna let you feel like that ever again.”

“... H-how?”

“How what?”

“You s-still love me and want to protect me a-and... I hurt you so b-bad... How do you still love m-me?” His voice is shaky and weak, and he clings to your shirt like its the last thing in the world. You’re shocked into a short silence.

“... You’re my little brother, I watched you grow up, I mean, how could not? I love you, Dave, always have, always will, cheesy as it sounds.”

“B-but... I just...” He shakes harder, and you hold him tighter, pressing him against yourself. “... Th-thank you for l-loving me.” You feel tears burn at the corners of your eyes and you hold them back, for Dave’s sake, kissing his forehead and tilting his face towards your own to wipe at his tears. Kissing his cheeks, you start to hum a song you used to sing to him when he was still a baby. It seems to work pretty well; he starts calming down almost immediately, burying his face back into your shoulder. After a bit, he’s calmed down to sniffles and looks up at you. “... Doing better?”

“Yeah. Thanks to you.”

“Not a problem, lil man. Anytime.”

 

 


	5. Confessions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I have no idea what to do for chapter six. Feel free to comment your suggestions!

Oh shit. Judging by how fast your heart was beating, you definitely had some... new feelings for Bro. You manage to push them aside and ignore them for as long as you can, and the next few weeks pass by uneventful. You met up with John and the rest of them, as well as all the trolls, who were now human. But none of them could remember anything about the game, which made things hard. But you spent most of your time with Bro, and actually talking and bonding and of course, cuddling. You really liked that part; it gave you an excuse to be close to him and you could really relax like that. It was another month before anything really eventful happened, and eventful it was.

*****

“Hey, you doing anything right now?” You open your eyes and look up at Bro.

“No. Why, you wanna snuggle or something?”

“If you don’t mind, yeah.”

“Since when do I mind?”

“I dunno.” He falls onto the couch next to you, flopping into your lap, and your hand immediately goes to his hair, stroking it and brushing through it. He hadn’t styled it yet, which made it much easier, and was much softer and smelled like cinnamon. You lean down and bury your face in it, breathing in his scent. God, you could never get tired of it. You peck his cheek, nuzzling against his head and shoulders.

“Dave? Could I talk to you about something?” He presses his face into your lap, almost like he was trying to hide, which was odd. Bro always liked to be facing you, or nuzzling into your stomach.

“Sure, shoot.”

“Well. I sort of like this guy, right? But our relationship would be illegal.”

“Oh. Well that does provide problems.” You frown, looking away. You knew it; he liked someone else.

“Yeah. I guess I’m asking your opinion. What do you think about it?” You think for a minute, choosing your words carefully.

“I guess it depends on why its illegal. But... If you’re both willing to take the risk... I don’t see why not.” Bro nods.

“Now if only I had a chance with him.”

“Yeah... I know the feeling.” Bro turns towards you, eyebrows raised.

“Oh? So you like someone too, huh?” Shit.

“Er. Yeah.” Bro smirks and pokes your cheek.

“So? Who is it?”

“Pfft.” You push his hand away. “Like I’m gonna tell you. Its not like you told me.”

“Touche. If... if I tell you, will you tell me?” You think for a moment. Maybe... well you could always say you liked John or something. Yeah, you would just say that.

“Fine. But you have to go first.”

“... Alright. This guy... he’s a lot younger than me.”

“What, so he’s under eighteen? That’s why its illegal?”

“No, he’s older than that.”

“Then why is it illegal?” Bro is quiet for a minute, looking up at you for a second. Then his hand shoots out, grabbing your collar and pulling you down and into a kiss.

Oh god. Oh my god. Bro was kissing you. Your eyes fly open, but close almost immediately, the hand in his hair pulling him closer. His hand slips around your neck, kissing you desperately, and shit, was that his tongue running over your lip? You open your mouth, shuddering at the feeling of his tongue in your mouth. You suck at it a little, pleased when you hear Bro groan in response. He kisses you harder, and after a minute, you reluctantly pull back for air.

“... Well I think you can guess who I like.” You tell him breathily, and he chuckles.

“Yeah, I think I can.”

“... Can we... I dunno... Do that again?” Bro chuckles, sitting up and pulling you into his lap instead. You yelp in surprise, but move to straddle his lap, looking up at him expectantly. He smirks, leaning down and bringing your lips together. You press back into the kiss, tangling your hand in his hair again to pull him closer and deepen the kiss. Bro holds onto your hips, pulling you against him. Your other hand moves to his chest, and his moves up to your waist as he puts more force into the kiss, starting to bend you backwards a little. After a second, you break the kiss.

“Hold on, as much as I love kissing you already, we should probably talk first before things get out of hand.” Bro blinks at you from behind his shades, then nods.

“Right, I forgot about all that. It’s been a while, y’know?” You nod as well in understanding.

“Alright. So.” You swallow, letting a breath out. “As much as I would love to just go all out right away and everything... I think we should probably take our time, y’know? Not rush into too much. I don’t want to take any part of this for granted.” He smiles at you, kissing your forehead.

“If that’s what you want, than that’s what we can do. What do you wanna do first then?” He wraps his arms around you, holding you close. Talk about perfect.

“Kissing sounds good. How about that?” You both grin.

“I think I can manage that.”


End file.
